


Beneath the Surface

by JustSmileStuffHappens (ksz13)



Series: Buddie / 9-1-1 Prompt Fills [64]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Coping, Gen, Inspired by Photography, Model, Modeling, Photographs, Photography, Trauma, Water
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:34:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26918908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ksz13/pseuds/JustSmileStuffHappens
Summary: Prompt: Buck finds himself alone again after everyone bails on him so he decides to just head out of his own. He happens to cross paths with this photographer and her wife and they immediately want him to model for them. He agrees. The set up is a serene underwater shoot that helps Buck with lingering feelings about the tsunami. The photos are raw and emotive, showcasing Buck's catharsis. Buck gets an invite to the art show for the photos and brings the firefam along. They are floored. Buddie
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: Buddie / 9-1-1 Prompt Fills [64]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1582147
Comments: 4
Kudos: 209





	Beneath the Surface

_**Beneath the Surface** _   
  


Buck looked down at his phone and the replies from the others. Today was a day off for all of them that was a rarity at times.

He'd asked if anyone wanted to hangout for some takeout and drinks at his place along with some games or movies.

But everyone had plans or agreed that it would be nice but had something come up at the last minute. So Buck grabbed his keys and decided to take a walk.

Eddie and Christopher were hosting some company for the weekend so they couldn't come. They'd joked for Buck to stay away to protect his cheeks from pinches and a lot of questions. 

But Buck felt it was also about Eddie's other aunt and sister telling him embarrassing stories about Eddie's childhood from what Pepa had teased before.

Hen and Karen were having a date night without the kids ever since little Nia joined them.

The photos and videos Hen shared of Denny getting accustomed to being a big brother were so cute.

Bobby, Athena, and Michael were taking Harry to visit May on campus before heading back home the next afternoon.

Bobby had mentioned that Michael found a museum Harry would be interested in and sounded like a lot of fun.

Maddie had been feeling sick for the past few days much to Buck's worry but promised it was probably just a stomach bug and would pass. Plus she had Chimney over just in case. 

Chimney was acting a bit weird but not too much. Buck just couldn't place it yet. But they were more than happy together.

Buck walked into the farther coffee shop that he liked and ordered his usual. The barista asked if he was ordering any others to go today. 

And didn't that just punch him in the gut too. They didn't know.

It wasn't their fault. 

"Uh. Nope." He shook his head.

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I just as-" she apologized while getting to work.

"Hurry up!" Some dude in the line behind Buck shouted.

"Chill out man. You're iced coffee isn't gonna get any colder." Buck shot back, earning a snicker from more than the barista.

The guy looked shocked at that.

Buck couldn't tell if it was because he remembered his usual order or because he talked back to him. Some people took Buck's tall frame as dangerous while others saw it as sexy.

He tipped her before taking his leave and enjoying the sweet warmth of his drink in contrast to the slight breeze this morning.

Maybe he should go for a jog later. Try to beat Eddie's time around their usual run.

The foot traffic was average today for the street he was on.

Why weren't there more recycling bins on the main street, Buck wondered as he took a turn towards the park for his cup.

Was there an event today? 

Buck pulled out his phone to see that other than a pet adoption drive tomorrow this weekend was clear of activities.

"Lana, where are we gonna find another model on such short notice?" A woman said loudly while throwing her hands out widely at another lady.

"You're the one who booked him. Why did he wait till now to back out if he'd known since Wednesday Olivia?" The other woman said with exasperation in her voice while touching her forehead in agitation.

Buck didn't want to interrupt them but they were standing in front of the very bin he needed.

He'd already walked the distance to recycle this instead of trash it. It didn't feel right to turn back.

"Umm, excuse me." He said walking closer with his drink up.

"No. You're not excused. Mind your own business." One of them said quickly and harshly.

Buck's mouth was left open in surprise before he shut it.

"Lana that's kinda rude." One of them said quietly. "We don't need your input, thanks but no." Olivia, if Buck heard right, said.

"I'm sorry. But I'm just trying to recycle this. And you're-." Buck turned over his cup to show that it didn't spill and looked between them in apology before averting his eyes and waiting a second.

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry." Lana, grabbed the other woman's hand before walking towards the pond out of the way of the bins.

"Thanks. I'm sorry!" Buck said to them with a cringe before finally being rid of his cup.

What was that game Christopher liked on his phone? Buck decided to try it out himself since he remembered when his little buddy said their favorite park bench was perfect for the game.

The app needed an update in the time since they'd used it so Buck sat watching the water. 

It was calm. Some ducks were following each other inside of it.

He pulled up the game and got lost in it with the funny nicknames Christopher had come up with so long ago.

A sparkly blue duck popped up on his screen as he tried to figure out the mechanics.

Upon capture Buck was stuck on figuring out a name for the digital creature so he could show Chris.

"Blue. No. Donald. Ugh. Oh!"

And so Duck Duckley was named and starred in his phone.

  
  


"Hi."

Buck was drawn out of laughing at his phone to turn around.

"Hello?" It was the women from before. "I'm sorry. Did you two want the bench?" 

Buck got up and offered it.

How long had it been? 

"No. I wanted to apologize again for assuming the worst. I'm Lana, and this is my fiancé Olivia." She introduced them. 

"Oh. No big deal. It probably looked like that." Buck shrugged. 

Olivia cleared her throat. "So- I'm not sure if you heard earlier. But-"

"I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, sorry." Buck apologized swiftly.

Lana laughed at that. "God this is painful. Are you free today? I have a job if you are." She said getting an elbow from Olivia.

"You're so blunt sometimes."

"You like that about me." She smirked at her fiancé.

"As my fiance so eloquently said, can you model for her?" Olivia rolled her eyes with a smile.

Buck looked between them.

He didn't have anything planned and they seemed nice enough.

"Sure, I guess." Buck said. "What all is it about? I'm Buck, by the way, nice to meet you,"

"I'm a photographer. I shoot for magazines but I've gotten a few commercial ads before too." Lana said handing over a business card for Buck to have.

It looked and felt nice.

Lana Vernadsky it read. 

"So- you have like clothes for me to model in? I mean I'm kind of-" Buck waved at himself.

Tall. Big. Long.

"No. I photograph people in some extreme or dynamic environments. But clothes are optional. It's about having comfortable models for true pictures." Lana said before Olivia wrapped her in a hug.

"She's always so creative. That's how I fell in love with her." Olivia rested her head on Lana's shoulder laying a kiss upon her.

"Hmm. I- it sounds interesting. Is it here?" Buck asks. "Not that I'm saying yes, yet." He clarified.

"No. This is too tame." Lana said with a laugh and a hand wave.

"Do you mind holding this." Buck asked Olivia, before handing over his phone and getting odd looks from the both of them.

Don't ask him why but the next thing that popped into Buck's head was to walk into the pond.

The water was a little chilly but refreshing compared to the sun that started to peek out.

"I'll be damned. He's perfect."

"The first man you've ever said that about." Olivia joked. "I guess he landed his audition."

Lana was already pulling up her lens to focus on Buck. She got shots of him walking further in.

The camera was alive. It screamed while capturing him.

Buck turned and for the first time looked nervous before taking off his shirt and looking up towards the sun for a moment before taking a seat in the shallow water around him on this end.

"I'd be jealous if I didn't know you were coming home with me." Olivia said before turning to look at Buck.

"I'm gonna come back now." Buck said getting up and walking closer with drenched pants.

"That was wildly impressive." Lana said, offering a handshake.

Buck laughed. "Thanks Lana. So, not too tame? Umm, I don't think I thought that all the way through." Buck said looking down at his pants and taking off a shoe to drain it and the other.

"You were possessed by the spirit of inspiration. I saw."

"I think we've got a blanket in our trunk." Olivia said while grabbing her keys.

"We can give you a ride if you want." Lana said and motioned for Buck to join them.

The blanket protected their S.U.V. from Buck's wetness.

They drove Buck back to his place from the park.

"We're gonna head over to my studio to set up the shoot. How are you with fire? It's very empty and will be safe for what I've got planned." Lana said.

"I'm well acquainted with fire." Buck held in a laugh.

"You're not an arsonist are you?" Olivia asked from the driver's seat as Buck was outside.

"No. But statistically speaking-"

"You're a firefighter." Olivia said, "wait! I remember you from TV."

"Oh. Yeah?" Buck nodded. "Well, I'm gonna go change. Then I'll meet you at that place you said."

"And bring a few changes of clothes. We'll be getting a little dirty for one shot." Lana said.

With that they were gone as Buck had his pants over his shoulder and the blanket wrapped around his waist.

-

Buck parked in front of the warehouse and got out.

A text from Maddie inviting him to dinner later was a welcome surprise when he finished his quick shower and change.

He'd told her yes that he'd love to come over and had the weirdest thing happen today. In reply he was told that she had some news too but it wasn't bad.

Lana buzzed him in and he saw the wide open space. There were a bunch of props and set-ups from past shoots he guessed as she guided him in.

"Hi Buck. So do you want to jump right in? The next shoot I had in mind was the flame one."

At this Buck made a face.

"I was actually wondering about that. It's small or- how do you keep it safe? You have a specialist or fire marshal instruct you in it?" Buck looked over the place she'd waved at. 

It was a giant rock in front of a white wall that was farther back.

"I have a pyrotechnic friend but it's nowhere near fireworks. It's more akin to modified heat torches you'd see at a restaurant." Lana told him as she moved to show the hidden mechanisms behind the scenery.

"Hmm." 

"I keep the flames as lower than they can be and the sprinkler system works." She assured. 

"Plus we've got a fire extinguisher at the ready." Olivia said coming from behind them while holding said extinguisher.

"Sorry, I've just heard and seen a few too many accidents." Buck told them both with a tight lip.

"We won't become one today. And if we did, thankfully we've got a trained firefighter to help." Olivia said with a laugh.

"Oh. Before I forget. I think you'll be wanting this back." Buck pulled the blanket out of his bag and handed it over.

"A gift. You shouldn't have." Olivia said as Lana waved Buck over to the first setup.

With Buck changed into a solid t-shirt as requested and some regular jeans they began. 

"No logos helps with editing." Lana said as Buck held up a match looking focused at it, blaming it, trying to put it out with pure willpower as flames were alight behind him.

It ended with him blowing it out as the fire was shut off.

"You keep this up and I'll have to ask you to model for me again." Lana said looking at the shoots she'd just gotten of him.

The next was Buck in a new long-sleeved shirt as he walked and stood against a giant fan.

It blew leaves and then confetti at one point towards Buck.

He thought his face would look funny but tried his best.

Upon asking he saw that only a few among the three dozen had his eyes completely closed or his mouth parted open with a leaf hanging out past his lips.

"You're lucky you didn't fall back. I've had a few do just that." Lana told him as he shook himself off.

"So that's it?" Buck asked. It didn't look like there was much else in the studio already setup.

"For here yes. But I have one last idea if you're okay with it." Lana said as Olivia swept up the leaves and confetti to finish later.

"Outside again?" Buck asked.

"No. My friend owns the local gym a few buildings down. How good are you with holding your breath? Ever dived before? I thought some firefighters did that kinda stuff for rescues." Lana asked while waiting on Buck.

"I can hold it longer than most of my other firefighter buddies. Yeah, I've dived before." Buck nodded. 

While the idea sounded interesting in this context he hadn't had a rescue with water in this regard ever since- well.

"It's okay if you're not up to it. It's been a few hours and I've got plenty of shoots to choose from." Lana said with a smile and a shrug.

"No. I can do it." Can I? "I wanna do it. It sounds cool." I want to?

"Great. It's just a short walk. I'll pay you extra since this is going over the time we talked about." Lana offered as Olivia walked besides her leading the way.

"So how'd you become a firefighter?" Olivia asked him.

"Well- it's kind of a long story."

-

They were in front of the closed gym down the street.

"That wasn't very long." Olivia joked as a man came to the entrance doors opening them.

"Lana. Olivia. How are you two? Who's this?" He said.

"Reggie. This is Buck. My model for the day." Lana introduced.

"The first canceled so we were lucky enough to meet him." Olivia added while they walked into the gym past the weights.

"Okay Buck. So for the last idea I wanted to have you doing some normal things while under water. On your phone reading, sitting down on a chair, and you can add anything else you want but I only brought over these earlier." Lana said while pointing out the objects besides the pool.

It was a diving pool and deeper than others usually were.

The guy, Reggie, would be down with his own tank giving Buck oxygen from a second tank when signaled to come over but really he could surface himself.

Buck felt worried for a slight second that maybe he'd freak out. He hadn't had any flashbacks really since then.

The closest he'd probably came before was when a car drove by and splashed a rather deep and cold puddle onto him suddenly.

Buck wasn't expecting it and had been holding a gift bear for Christopher to replace his last one that was lost in the chaos.

But after seconds of staring at the drenched bear and reminding himself he was nowhere near the pier Buck was able to continue on home.

His psych evaluation before returning to work gave an all clear and they'd talked about him being resilient but if anything arose to speak to someone.

A part of Buck felt like he was waiting to see though. But also he wanted to test himself. Maybe if this didn't do it nothing would.

He'd changed into different clothing and gotten in the pool. They gave Buck a while to get used to the temperature and loosen up before starting.

After Buck told them he was good to begin they'd brought a chair in for him and Reggie to take with them into the pool.

The first shots were of him checking a waterproof phone that wasn't his own. The glow bounced off of him from it.

They then progressed to doing a few poses from there with a few props that were available before Buck was sitting on the chair and looking at the camera then away from it and Lana in the water.

Finally they moved on to a last few with Lana's underwater camera before calling it done.

Buck was sitting on the floor of the pool and looking to be at peace or possibly meditating. He didn't really do that kinda stuff even with all the partners he'd had who were into that thing.

Among the last two was one of Buck looking up at the camera opening his eyes to it. 

The final was of him with the slightest of grins on his face.

With that they all motioned to surface with their tanks before coming back for the other stuff.

  
  


"Wow. Those felt so raw. Can you be honest with me Buck?" Lana asked as they stood a bit away from the others who were busy talking themselves.

"Oh. Thank you. Uh, sure." 

"Have you modeled before? At first I thought maybe but with those last and the ones back at the park I'm second guessing." Lana said, pulling them up.

"Technically I modeled before but it was only once and I'm pretty sure I was too nervous. They probably didn't even use my takes for anything." Buck shrugged with a deep frown.

"Well, it was wonderful working with you and I'd never have thought that. But from what you said you've grown and it shows." She smiled down at the screen.

"I think that one's my favorite," Olivia said over Lana's shoulder.

It was Buck back at the pond walking away from the camera.

"I'm a little partial to this one." Lana pulled up the favorites which included Buck sitting at the bottom of the pool.

They changed before heading back for Buck's jeep.

"Here's the $550." Lana said as they stood behind Buck's jeep as he tossed his bag into the trunk.

"Lana. I can't accept this, the $250 is enough and it was a great experience to have." Buck refused the money gently.

"No. I insist. Plus, I'm a woman of my word. You earned it, and I don't think firefighters get paid enough from what I hear." She said with a laugh handing it over.

Buck felt it hard to resist after that accepted it. He bit his lip suppressing a smile to that.

Just then Buck's stomach growled. 

"I'd better get going. I have to go see my sister soon enough. It was nice to meet you both even if our first introduction was a little weird. At least it won't be easy to forget it." Buck joked.

-

Buck had a great dinner with Maddie and Chimney that night.

They caught up on each other's weeks with Chimney poking fun at Buck and getting jabs back.

By the time dinner was over and Buck was helping to clean the dishes with Chimney they told him that they had and news.

'They', so not just Maddie.

When Buck learned he was going to be having a niece or nephew his face lit up and his mouth dropped open like a fish.

He was so happy for them and relieved that Maddie wasn't sick. Far from it this was a time for celebration together. 

But they swore him to secrecy until a few days when they told everyone else about the news.

They were so busy with the news that Buck forgot he was going to share his day with them.

It was odd and exciting but nothing compared to this though.

It'd be a tough few days of him being hush about the baby.

  
  


Eddie knew something was up and Buck was trying his hardest to think of excuses until finally Chimney admitted what it was before Maddie came over.

It was great to finally have the weighted burden of the secret off his shoulders. Buck didn't want to disappoint them after all.

  
  


-

The shoot didn't cross Buck's mind again for a while.

He got a text of thanks and a sample photo of Lana's page.

Buck walked up to the recreational area to join the others for their next shift. 

Eddie waved him over to the couch where he was sitting with Hen and they were talking.

Bobby was starting on breakfast and Chimney was nowhere to be seen yet upstairs at all.

"Hey Buck. Did you catch that new episode last night?" Hen asked as she drank coffee.

"He doesn't watch." Eddie laughed in explanation. "Buck was either reading or gaming."

"What'd I miss?" He asked.

"Buck what the fuck?!" Chimney slapped Buck's chest.

"I didn't do anything Chim." Buck said in confusion.

"Then explain this?" He said putting something in front of Buck's face for him to see.

"I don't get it. What am I supposed to see?" He asked.

"Bottom right." Chimney said.

In the corner of the page. 

It was Buck.

Oh.

"What's going on?" Bobby and Eddie asked the guys.

Hen took the magazine and looked hard at it. "Well, whatdaya know, our very own Buckaroo's a model."

  
  


She flipped it open and turned to the specified page spread.

The upstairs fell silent.

"Do I really look that bad?" Buck asked them as he moved over.

He didn't think the photos looked bad but maybe they did. 

"Whoa." Chim said.

"Buck this is-" Bobby smiled.

"When did you take these?" Eddie asked next.

"When your sister and aunt visited two weeks ago." Buck said.

"We're not losing you to a modeling career right?" Chimney joked, ribbing him lightly.

"Nope. You're stuck with me."

"Rats." Hen scrunched her nose.

"Congratulations Buck." Bobby said, patting his shoulder before going back to the stove.

Hen told Chimney they should hang it up like they did with his calendar earning a scoff. 

Buck laughed at that and said they didn't have to but the two were already heading downstairs to find a frame for the magazine.

Eddie was sitting with it and reading the attached article.

The magazine had gotten quotes from past interviews of Buck and apparently looked him up too.

"This one's pretty ironic." Eddie pointed towards the flame one.

"Yeah. I know." Buck smiled and watched Eddie's face as he went back to looking at the photos.

"What were you thinking of here?" Eddie asked as he nodded towards the full second page that was the underwater shoot which Buck remembered being told looked good.

"Uh. It might sound weird but, the tsunami and what came before and after it." Buck said.

"Hmm."

"Even after everything. I'm still- we're still here. I guess, I was just thinking of what I've still got and what I'm glad for." He said.

'You. Chris. Mads. Everyone' he didn't say aloud. 

"It's hard to see water normal again sometimes. But eventually-" Eddie said.

After that night, in the rain, with all that mud, Buck knew.

Eddie's words brought it back.

It wasn't regularly that Buck thought about losing Eddie. That was a once in a lifetime thing. Similar to the tsunami. It wouldn't happen again possibly in their shared lifetimes even. Shouldn't.

"Can I show it to Christopher?" Eddie asked, confusing Buck.

"Huh? Sure. Yeah Eddie."

"I think he'll like it. And- he asked once if you had nightmares too but I didn't want to ask you. I told him I wasn't sure but it was okay for an adult to have them too after what happened." Eddie had thought about what the psychologist had told him and what he'd told Frank himself.

Those words hit Buck's core. Both Christopher's thinking about him and Eddie's answer.

"I-"

"I'm- once we work up to visiting the beach, I want you to come with us." Eddie told Buck. "Baths weren't as hard, but we avoided some movies and going places the day after it had rained hard."

It would comfort Christopher to have Buck there too, yeah. But Eddie didn't have to say that having Buck would also soothe his own mind about things too.

"I'd- I'll be there. Yeah." Buck nodded from beside Eddie.

They sat together waiting for Bobby to finish breakfast.

Buck told Eddie about how he'd met Lana and Olivia that day and they both got a laugh out of the retelling as the others joined.

After an eventful day of rescues and Hen saving an idiot's life their shift was finally over.

Eddie invited Buck over to his place and they didn't forget to grab the magazine beforehand.

Christopher was happy to not only have his dad but also his Buck come home that day.

"Daddy! Hi Buck." 

Carla made a comment that had Buck blushing making the entire room burst into laughter.

"You looking good isn't anything new Buck." She teased.

"Thanks Carla."

"He looks like a superhero that can breathe underwater." Christopher said, pointing at it.

"Yeah. You're right, he does, doesn't he Chris." Eddie said.

"That's because he is one." Carla said tilting her head.

"Well my favorite hero is you." Buck replied to his good friend.

"Don't go buttering me up. I'm still calling you Aquaman for a couple of days." Carla joked.

She grabbed a bite of pizza with them before taking some home.

"Hey Buck. Do you wanna watch Moana with me and daddy?" 

"Sure buddy. I haven't seen that one before." Buck told him.

Christopher lighted up at that.

"Oh. It's got a lot of cool songs, and there's this man with tattoos like you and daddy. But the best part is when Moana meets a really big scary crab monster,"

Buck didn't get all of what Christopher was saying because he had said it so fast.

"It sounds really cool. Let's watch it." Buck agreed.

Eddie laughed silently to himself at Buck's enthusiasm and what it did to his chest. He put it on.

They enjoyed it together. 

The ocean wasn't bad. It just was. It didn't mean to hurt but I could. That didn't change that it looked really pretty or was important for what it could do.

"I think I really like this one, maybe more than Finding Nemo." Buck said to Christopher earning a gasp in reply.

Eddie touched his forehead. He could already see where this was going. "I'll put it on." He faked a sigh before laughing. "We can see which is better."

"I kinda want popcorn now. How about you Christopher, Eddie?" Buck asked, getting up to do it.

"I want some." "Sure."

Buck returned at the end of the beginning credits with a big bowl of popcorn for them all to share.

They settled in for the movie.

In the end they had fun watching and quoting the movie as this one Buck had seen before.

They agreed that both were cool but Moana won with the music.

"Thanks for coming over Buck."

"No problem buddy. I love coming over to spend time with you two." Buck answered him.

It was the truth. 

They could talk about the nightmares that Buck had once since then too, at another time. The same way Eddie would offer going to the beach sometime in the future.

But in the meantime they had a night to team up against Eddie in racing before it was bedtime.

They wouldn't have it any other way either.


End file.
